Even out of Kyoto, Canada’s Environment Commissioner may still have legal mandate to report on accord

OTTAWA — Canada’s environment commissioner said Tuesday that his office is consulting lawyers to determine the implications on its mandate following the Conservative government’s decision to withdraw from the Kyoto accord.

Federal Environment Minister Peter Kent announced Monday, on the heels of returning from an international climate-change conference in South Africa, that Canada is officially pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But Environment Commissioner Scott Vaughan said his office still has a legal mandate to inform Parliament on the federal government’s progress on meeting its Kyoto targets and overall climate-change plans.